Magic trick for enwrapping a solid ring in a solid chain

ABSTRACT

A magic trick for causing a solid ring to falsely penetrate through a flexible solid chain. A magician suspends a portion of the chain from a first hand, wherein the portion has a generally U-shape. The magician also holds the ring by a second hand to position the ring near the top of the portion. Then, the ring is released from the second hand and caused to rotate with respect to the portion so that the bottom tip of the portion loops around a portion of the ring and thereby a loop for hanging the ring from the chain is formed by a bottom part of the portion. The ring hanging from the chain makes an audience of the magic trick perceive a false impression that the solid ring has passed through the solid chain.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to magic tricks, and more particularly to a magic trick for causing a solid ring having a loop of a solid chain passed therethrough to become enwrapped in the chain as the ring is allowed to fall about the chain.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Historically, magicians and showmen have devised magic tricks and feats to deceive viewers or to make audiences perceive intended illusions for amusement and wonder. To implement magic tricks, the magicians use various articles and devices that range from simple coins and cards to complicated equipments installed in stages. One of the popular tricks has been using a ring and a chain or a rope. However, conventional magic trick performed using a ring and a rope require specially designed ring/rope or an additional device(s) hidden to the viewers. Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a magic trick that uses only a pair of ring and chain having simple configurations and can be easily learned and performed by controlling a finger of the magician.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Briefly, a preferred embodiment of the present invention includes a method of performing a magic trick wherein a solid ring is caused to become enwrapped in a closed loop of a flexible solid chain. The method includes steps of: suspending a portion of a closed loop of a flexible chain from a first hand, the suspended portion assuming an elongated generally U-shape; holding a ring by a second hand in a horizontal direction beneath the suspended portion of the chain and raising the ring upwardly toward the first hand, allowing the suspended portion of the chain to pass through the ring until the ring is positioned beneath the first hand and near the top of the suspended portion; releasing the ring from the second hand; and causing the ring to rotate with respect to the chain as it falls downwardly so that the lower extremity of the suspended portion is caused to loop around the ring and become enwrapped thereabout such that the ring hangs from said chain.

One advantage of the preferred embodiment is that the magic trick is quite simple and requires only a solid ring and a flexible chain having simple configurations. Another advantages of the preferred embodiment is that the magic trick can be easily learned by a magician. Yet another advantage of the preferred embodiment is that the magic trick is performed by simply positioning a finger in a crucial location to impart rotational momentum to the ring while the finger movement can be concealed from the viewers.

These and other objectives, aspects and advantages of the present invention will become better understood with reference to the following drawings, description and claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1A shows a schematic perspective view of a ring and a beaded chain respectively held by hands of a magician in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 1B is a schematic top view of the ring held in a hand as depicted in FIG. 1A; and

FIG. 2A-FIG. 7B show schematic diagrams of the ring and chain viewed along a direction 13 (FIG. 1A) at several points in time, illustrating sequential stages of the magic trick after the ring in FIG. 1A is released from the hand.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DISCLOSURE

Referring to the drawings, FIG. 1A is a schematic perspective view of a ring 16 and a chain 18 respectively held by the hands 12, 14 of a magician. The ring 16 is a solid ring and dimensioned for easy grip, preferably 1-2 inches in diameter. The ring 16 may be circular, elliptical, or otherwise, and made of any suitable material, such as metal, having a mass sufficient to carry out the trick as described below. The chain 18 is a closed loop and may be formed of a beaded chain, a flexible string, or the like. The thickness of the chain is determined considering the type of material thereof and the weight of the ring 16 as will be discussed later.

As depicted, the chain 18 is suspended from the thumb and the index fingers of the left hand 14 of the magician. Also, these fingers are spaced apart from each other to provide a separation D between the hanging strands of the chain and to make the portion 19 of the chain 18 assume an elongated generally U-shape. The separation of the strands near the ring in FIG. 1A is preferably comparable to the diameter of the ring 16.

FIG. 1B is a schematic top view showing the right hand 12 holding the ring 16 between the thumb and index fingers in a horizontal direction. As a first step in implementing the magic trick, the magician assures that the ring 16 is not threaded on or tied to the chain 18 by moving the ring 16 with respect to the U-shaped portion 19. More specifically, the magician holds the ring 16 in a horizontal direction as depicted in FIG. 1B. Then, the magician positions the ring 16 beneath the U-shaped portion 19 and raises the ring 16 upwardly toward the left hand 14, allowing the U-shaped portion 19 to pass through the ring 16, until the ring 16 reaches beneath the left hand 14 near the top of the U-shaped portion 19. Subsequently, the magician may lower the ring 16 to the lower extremity of the U-shaped portion 19. The magician may repeat the up and down motion until the viewers are convinced that the ring 16 is separate from the chain 18.

It is noted that the knuckle of the middle finger 17 of the right hand 12 is positioned to extend beneath a side of the ring 16, as depicted in FIG. 1B. It is also noted that from the viewers perspective shown in FIG. 1A, it is not apparent that the knuckle is in this position.

To commence the magic trick, the magician raises the ring 16 near the top of the U-shaped portion 19 while holding the ring 16 in a horizontal direction as depicted in FIGS. 1A and 1B. Then the magician releases the ring 16 from the position as shown in FIG. 1A. The magician imparts rotational momentum to the ring 16 by use of the middle finger 17 of the left hand 12. As discussed above, a knuckle of the middle finger 17 is positioned beneath of a side of the ring 16. Thus, when the magician merely release the ring 16 from the thumb and index finger of the right hand 12, the ring falls downward to hit the knuckle of the middle finger 17, and thereby to gain rotational momentum and start rotating with respect to the chain 18.

As discussed above, in the first step in implementing the magic trick, the magician may hold the ring 16 as depicted in FIG. 1B and move the hand 12 up and down along the chain 18. As an alternative, the magician may hold the ring 16 further away from the palm so that the knuckle of the middle finger 17 is not positioned beneath the ring 16, i.e., the knuckle is cleared away from the downward trajectory of the ring. Then, the magician raises the ring 16 near the top portion of the U-shaped portion 19 and release the ring 16 to allow the ring to fall downwardly. As the knuckle of the middle finger 17 is not positioned beneath the ring 16, the ring 16 falls straight down without any rotation and magic effects is not generated, assuring the viewers that the ring 16 is not threaded on or tied to the chain 18.

FIGS. 2A-7B show the ring and chain at several stages after the magician releases the ring 16. FIGS. 2A, 3A, 4A, 5A, 6A, and 7A show the schematic front views of the ring and chain, while FIGS. 2B, 3B, 4B, 5B, 6B, and 7B show the schematic side views of the ring and chain taken from a direction 13 (FIG. 1A) and respectively correspond to FIGS. 2A, 3A, 4A, 5A, 6A, and 7A.

FIG. 2A is a schematic diagram of the ring 16 and a portion of the chain 18 at a point in time after the ring 16 is released from the right hand 12. For simplicity, only an upper section of the U-shaped portion 19 is shown in FIG. 2A. FIG. 2B, which corresponds to FIG. 2A, is a schematic diagram of the ring and chain viewed along the direction 13 (FIG. 1A). As depicted in FIGS. 2A and 2B, the ring 16 rotates with respect to the chain 18 in the direction of an arrow 20 while moving downward from its initial position 21 due to the gravity. In FIG. 2B, the initial position 21 of the ring 16 is shown in conjunction with the middle, ring, and little fingers of the right hand 12. At the initial position 21, a side of the ring 16 is positioned above the knuckle of the middle finger 17 such that, when released from the right hand 12, the ring hits the knuckle to get angular momentum and start rotating in the direction of the arrow 20. The rotational axis of the ring 16 is approximately in the plane defined by the suspended U-shaped portion 19 (FIG. 1A). For the purpose of illustration, a marker “b” is shown in FIGS. 2A-7B.

When the ring 16 rotates about 90 degrees from its initial position 21, the ring 16 starts bending portions of the chain 18. FIGS. 3A and 3B are schematic diagrams of the ring 16 and chain 18, illustrating the configuration of the ring 16 and chain 18 when the ring 16 has rotated more than 90 degrees from its initial position 21. As depicted, the ring is in contact with the chain 18 at four locations 22 a-22 d. Also, portions of the chain 18 near the four points 22 a-22 d start curling/bending. In this stage, the ring 18 keeps on rotating in the direction of the arrow 20 while moving downward due to the gravity.

FIGS. 4A-5B are schematic diagrams of the ring 16 and chain 18, illustrating the configuration of the ring 16 and chain 18 as time elapses. As depicted, the lower contact points 22 b and 22 c respectively move toward the upper contact points 22 a, 22 d as time elapses, continuously reducing the length of a portion 24 of the chain below the contact points 22 b, 22 c. Also, as the ring 16 continuously moves downward, the upper contact points 22 a and 22 d move towards the lower extremity or bottom tip 26 of the chain 18, causing the bottom tip 26 of the chain to experience a motion relative to the ring 16 along the direction of an arrow 28. It is noted that the portion 24 of the chain below the lower contact points 22 b, 22 c are substantially beneath the ring 16 in the stages depicted in FIGS. 4A-5B. It is also noted that the separation D gradually decreases, i.e., the upper contact points 22 a and 22 d slides along the ring to approach to each other, as the ring 16 moves downwardly with respect to the chain 18.

As time elapses further, the bottom tip 26 of the chain moves to loop around the curved portion of the chain near the upper contact points 22 a, 22 d, i.e., the bottom tip 26 of the chain flips over the upper contact points 22 c, 22 d, forming a loop 30, as depicted in FIGS. 6A and 6B. The loop 30 operates as a mechanism for tying the ring 16 to the chain 18, making the viewers perceive an intended impression that the ring 16 is enwrapped within the chain 18. It is noted that the ring 16 has rotated substantially 180° from its initial angular position 21 in FIG. 2A. Depending on the initial rotational momentum of the ring 16, the ring may further rotate in the direction of the arrow 20 after the stage depicted in FIGS. 6A and 6B.

It is noted the rotational momentum of the ring 16 is used to curl/bend several portions of the chain 18 as depicted in FIGS. 3A-6B. The ring 16 continuously looses its rotational momentum after it contacts the chain 18 at four contact points 22 a-22 d and starts interacting with the U-shaped portion 19 of the chain 18. If the weight per unit length of the chain 16 is too heavy to exceed a certain threshold, the initial rotational momentum of the ring 16 may not be sufficient to complete the necessary turn, failing the magic trick. The material and cross sectional dimension of the chain 18 are determined so that the weight per unit length of the chain 18 does not exceed the threshold. As the rotational momentum is proportional to the mass of the ring 16, the threshold is affected by the mass of the ring 16. The material for the ring 16 is selected taking into account of the material and cross sectional dimension of the chain 18 such that the initial rotational momentum of the ring 16 is sufficient to carry out the trick.

Upon completion of rotation in the direction of the arrow 20, the ring 16 rotates in a direction opposite to the arrow 20 due to the gravitational force. The ring 16 is tied to the chain 18 via the loop 30 and thereby rotatably suspends from the chain 18. The ring 16 experiences a pendulum motion along the arrow 32 as depicted in FIG. 7A and finally comes to rest to complete the magic trick as shown in FIG. 7B. As depicted, the ring 16 suspends from the chain 18 to give the viewers an impression that the ring 16 is enwrapped in the chain 18.

It is noted that the magician can control the implementation of the magic trick by adjusting the position of the middle finger of a hand holding the ring. More specifically, by simply positioning the knuckle beneath a side of the ring and releasing the ring, the ring is caused to become enwrapped in the chain, implementing the magic. If the knuckle is cleared away from the vertical trajectory of the ring and the ring is released, the ring simply drops without any magic effect. As the viewers cannot notice the crucial and subtle difference in positioning the knuckle relative to the ring, the magic trick can be performed in a simple manner and the magician can easily learn the trick.

It should be understood, of course, that the foregoing relates to exemplary embodiments of the invention and that modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the following claims. 

1. A method of performing a magic trick wherein a solid ring is caused to become enwrapped in a closed loop of a flexible solid chain, comprising: suspending a portion of a closed loop of a flexible chain from a first hand, the suspended portion assuming an elongated generally U-shape; holding a ring by a second hand in a horizontal direction beneath the suspended portion of said chain and raising said ring upwardly toward said first hand, allowing the suspended portion of said chain to pass through said ring until said ring is positioned beneath said first hand and near the top of the suspended portion; releasing said ring from said second hand; and causing said ring to rotate with respect to said chain as it falls downwardly so that the lower extremity of the suspended portion is caused to loop around said ring and become enwrapped thereabout such that said ring hangs from said chain.
 2. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein said ring is held by the thumb and index finger of said second hand and a knuckle of the middle finger of said second hand is positioned beneath one side of said ring and wherein, when dropped, said ring hits said knuckle and is caused thereby to rotate with respect to said chain.
 3. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein said ring rotates substantially 180° as it falls downwardly toward the lower extremity of the suspended portion of said chain.
 4. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein said ring is generally circular in shape.
 5. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein said chain is formed of a beaded chain or a flexible string. 